Maya Jade Head Pendant of a Deity, Late Classic, circa AD 550 - 950

New York Private Collection, acquired before 1964

Gerald Berjonneau, Emile Deletaille, and Jean-Louis Sonnery, Rediscovered Masterpieces of Mesoamerica: Mexico-Guatemala-Honduras, Boulogne, 1985, p. 233, pl. 357

This pendant is carved with the face of a deity resembling the fanged mouth of the important sun god Kinich Ahau, the broad ribbon of the upper lip curls tightly above the fangs, with slightly fleshy cheeks, and provocatively hooded eyes which imbue the face with a meditative aura. The howler monkey god, patron of artisans and scribes, is also depicted with the descending curls from the mouth and heavy-lidded eyes. The face is surmounted by a high domed headdress finely carved in symmetrical relief with recessed bat-like ears and scrolling motifs; the pendant is pieced laterally for suspension.

Jade ornaments were imbued with power and symbolism for the Maya, activated by the potency of the stone as much as by the iconic carved images. Numerous quantities of jade ornaments bedecked rulers for rituals and ceremonies during their lifetime and served as talismans with everlasting power in the afterlife. No other natural substance provided the affirmation of power and legitimacy as much as jade.

"Impervious to time, it was the distilled essence of fertility and bounty made permanent. The sheer effort required to turn it into works of art - to drill and fashion the super-hard mineral [...] into jewelry, mask, and figurines - gave it incomparable value." (Mary Miller and Simon Martin, Courtly Art of the Ancient Maya, San Francisco, 2004, p. 53).